Pennington Set to Throw, but Playing Is a Ways Off

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Nov. 22 - Barely a day after figuring out how to win without Chad Pennington, the Jets got a better idea of when he might return.

Coach Herman Edwards said Monday that Pennington, still recovering from a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder, would begin throwing at workouts this week, a key step in his rehabilitation.

"He went to the doctor today," said Edwards, who added that no further magnetic resonance imaging tests were required. "He's going to start trying to throw."

Although the date of Pennington's return has not been determined, he said Monday on his weekly radio show on ESPN Radio that he hoped to return between Dec. 5 and Dec. 19, a stretch of home games against Houston and Seattle that bracket a visit to Pittsburgh.

While that timetable is not definite, it seems increasingly clear that Pennington will miss more than the four games that the Jets initially expected after he was injured in a 22-17 loss to Buffalo on Nov. 7. He has already missed games against Baltimore and Cleveland, and he will miss the one at Arizona on Sunday.

The news was brighter about running back Curtis Martin, who bruised his right knee in the second quarter of Sunday's 10-7 victory at Cleveland.

Edwards said that an M.R.I. showed no damage to Martin's knee and that he expected him to play Sunday at Arizona. "He's fine," Edwards said. "He'll practice this week."

If the injury had been worse, the Jets would have faced the daunting prospect of having their career leading rusher, Martin, and the starting quarterback with the best winning percentage in team history, Pennington, out of the Cardinals game.

Pennington, who was examined by doctors Monday, said that the swelling and blood around the rotator cuff injury had reduced to the point where he could begin intensifying his rehabilitation.

He said he would begin throwing workouts Wednesday and, depending on his progress, have a better idea about when he might return. In the locker room after the Cleveland game, Pennington did not rule out the possibility of surgery on the shoulder, but he said that if it were necessary, it could be performed after the season.

Pennington, who has missed eight games over the past two seasons because of injuries, said Monday that "everything is going according to plan."

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In the meantime, Pennington will continue to tutor his replacement, Quincy Carter, whose early struggles probably did little to diminish the Jets' wishes to see Pennington return.

Edwards said that he was satisfied with Carter so far. "For the most part, he's done a pretty good job," Edwards said. "I'd like to see him be himself a little bit more. I think he's being too careful at times. I know he has the ability to move a little bit, and he hasn't done that yet. But that will come. I think he's just trying to work his way in the pocket."

The Jets will likely be hoping that Carter decreases the number of times he is sacked and increases his proficiency on third down.

Although Carter is known for his mobility, he has been sacked 11 times in two starts. By contrast, Pennington was sacked eight times in eight starts.

Edwards attributed the difference to Carter needing to make quicker decisions with the football, and the defensive schemes that the Jets have faced in Carter's two starts.

The Ravens are one of the faster defensive teams in the league, and the Browns put together a set of blitzes and stunts that produced five sacks in the first 17 minutes of Sunday's game.

"They did some things that gave us some problems," Edwards said of the Browns.

The Jets would probably like to see Carter improve his decision-making on third down. The Jets did not convert a third down until the fourth quarter, and it came during their only touchdown drive. On third downs, Carter completed 2 of 8 passes for 13 yards and an interception. In his two starts, Carter has completed 24 of 42 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown and an interception.

Despite his difficulties, Edwards said that he had not given any thought to putting the second-stringer Brooks Bollinger into the game. Bollinger, a 2003 draft pick out of Wisconsin, is in his second season as a student of the Jets' complex version of the West Coast offense. Carter has had the Jets' playbook for about three months.

Edwards said that he was comfortable using Bollinger in a game, but that he felt it was not necessary against the Browns. "I just felt Quincy was going to get it done, our offense was going to get it done," Edwards said. "It never entered my mind."